


Warbled conversations

by y0ui



Series: i write so much ranboo content [8]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Enderman Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Enderman Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Oneshot, Ranboo Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), and also an older brother figure lol, and he gets one, no beta we die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:41:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29292309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/y0ui/pseuds/y0ui
Summary: Edward realized how lonely Ranboo is and decided to introduce him to an Enderman his age.Ranboo has mixed feelings about it.
Relationships: Edward the Enderman & Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: i write so much ranboo content [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2130402
Comments: 75
Kudos: 1027
Collections: Ranboo Is Best Boi





	Warbled conversations

**Author's Note:**

> i just really like ranboo and writing abt his endermen side its just cool to me (and it sucks that edward died but... idc lol i will still write about him and nobody will stop me!!!) 
> 
> also i have no idea if anybody noticed but yes i reposted this LOL i had issues with the last work so i needed to reupload .. if u saw me reupload no u didnt

_“Vwoop,”_ Said Edward, once, while Ranboo was in Techno’s home working on some maps. It translated into, “You’re so lonely.”

Ranboo had scoffed and disagreed, saying he had Ranbun, Enderchest, all of his pets. And Phil. And Techno had said he doesn’t have any intention of chopping his head right off!

Edward made a face and shifted a bit in his spot. _“Vrr… rrrup.” (Child, that list is just… sad.)_ Ranboo deflated a bit from where he was standing in the middle of the home, his bright smile fading. Edward felt a bit bad for being the cause of that.

The teen hybrid fidgeted with his sleeves while he spoke. “Well, I mean… ‘S not like I can just _invite_ Tubbo here. Plus, visiting him is hard since he lives so far away. And if I brought Tommy here... I’m pretty sure Techno would never look in my direction ever again? At the very least. And I’m not welcomed in L’manburg. Or… Am I? Well. I mean, I guess…? But, like, there’s a lot of tension over there so visiting is r–”

Edward made a bunch of annoyed warbled noises and cut off Ranboo’s rambling. Ranboo gasped and snapped his mouth shut before grinning sheepishly. “Sorry! Rambling has happened a lot more lately. Phil doesn’t mind it, but I think it will get on Techno’s nerves if I...” 

Edward’s deadpan made Ranboo shut up again. After a moment of staring down at Ranboo almost condescendingly, Edward exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. After standing in solid silence for a good minute, Ranboo wasn’t able to tell if Edward had started meditating or he was just thinking. It sort of looked like both? Edward is one of the very few Endermen Ranboo has had the chance to talk with properly, so he doesn’t know every detail of how Endermen naturally function. What Edward is doing right now could be completely normal.

 _I’m just gonna…_ Ranboo took a few quiet steps back, blindly reaching behind himself to grab the maps he was here for. _Gonna let him… Do his thing…_

When Ranboo grabbed his maps, they crinkled a little, and the noise snapped Edward out of his meditation– Was it mediation? It snapped him out of whatever trance he was in, and he had the look on his face as if he had just found something he had been looking for. He looked back down at Ranboo, whose shoulders were tensed, eyes wide and frozen on the spot as if he were a kid caught doing something they shouldn’t have. 

Distantly, a small little voice in the back of Edward’s head told him that Ranboo _is_ a kid. He’s called Child for a reason, because according to Enderman culture, Ranboo is far from being called an adult. Mannerisms, like freezing and looking like a deer in headlights, isn’t far off from how kids act when they feel like they've been caught doing something they shouldn't have. Edward admittedly forgets that sometimes, almost, when he sees Ranboo acting not as mature as the Blade or the Angel.

Ranboo shook himself out of his stance and straightened himself, clearing his throat and straightening his tie. “Something… Uh, I mean, do you need something?” The teen asked, smiling awkwardly at the Elder in front of him.

Edward squinted as if he were contemplating something. After some staring, he stated, _“Vrrgh.” (Meet me here tomorrow when the sun is at its highest.)_

Ranboo didn’t hesitate to give an affirming nod with a hum, trusting that Edward wouldn’t have plans to make him do anything crazy. Edward was probably lonely and wanted somebody to talk to, something along those lines. Ranboo added a thumbs up and a grin to his nod, to which Edward just stared blankly at.

 _“Vwoop.” (You and your strange little human things.)_ He scoffed, shaking his head, though there was a fondness edging in his actions. Then, he grinned and started waving his hand towards the door, gesturing for him to leave the home. _“Rrrk!” (Go along now!)_

* * *

_Knock, knock._

Technoblade stiffened, then his eyebrows twitched down as if they were to dip and furrow in annoyance or anger. 

“Who’s knocking on my door at the middle of the day?” He mumbled to himself, putting down the Netherite tool he was polishing on a nearby table. Somewhere behind him, Techno heard Edward warble something, but Techno barely registered it, too busy reaching out to grab his sword – You know, just in case. Better safe than sorry,

It was awfully strange for somebody to be knocking in the middle of the day. Everybody, and I mean _everybody_ was out and about during the afternoon or sleeping through the day. And today was Wednesday, which meant that more people are (for whatever reason) busier than normal. This means that Ranboo was out, being busy, and so was Phil. 

Ranboo is usually mining right about now, with his preference for the dark (must be his hybrid side, Techno totally understands that) and constant interaction with the ground and world around him. Phil was also working his hardest around now, just because that was how his schedule worked for him.

This meant that whoever is knocking, it’s probably not Ranboo or Phil, and they were somebody who set it as a mission to come knocking on Techno’s door. Nobody just drops by and visits (except for Phil).

Hence, his tight grip on the sword and grapple in reach nearby.

Edward was practically going crazy in the corner, saying things that Techno just didn’t understand at all. He didn’t really care, a bit more focused on the probably-intruder knocking at his door.

Like ripping off a band-aid, Techno swung his front door open.

There stood Ranboo, a fist in the air as if he was about to knock again. He probably was. 

The Enderman hybrid’s eyes were wide from the door opening unexpectedly, and he stood there, stunned. Techno scoffed, feeling a bit stupid for overreacting. Behind him, Edward was still babbling, and Techno tuned him out, not wanting to get a headache in the middle of the day. With a big sigh, Techno tossed his sword to the side and stuffed his golden apple into a random chest. Then, he spun around and saw Ranboo closing the front door behind him.

“What do you want, kid?” Techno grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning against a chest. Still, Edward was talking his head off behind him. 

Ranboo cleared his throat, looking over Techno’s shoulder and at Edward. He stood and listened to Edward’s words for a few seconds, trying his best to process the speedy words flying out of Edward’s mouth.

“Did you hear me?” Techno asked after forty seconds of Ranboo looking over Techno’s shoulder and at Edward instead. Ranboo chirped in surprise, his ears flicking up for a moment before his expression melted into an apologetic smile. 

“Sorry,” Ranboo scratched the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact as usual, “Um, I can’t just… Ignore Edward when he’s mad like that. It’s kind of lik– Um, he’s an Elder, and I’m obviously not because Edward straight up calls me “Child”, so I need to listen to him, and, like. Stuff. Or else it’s considered super duper rude, and, um, offensive? I'm bad at explaining this, but are you following what I’m saying?” Techno nodded, arms crossed. “Yeah, I'm following,” He mumbled, glancing over to Edward, who was glaring at Techno. 

“Am I an… Elder?” Techno asked, saying the words carefully. It didn't hurt to ask, but. Techno hopes he’s not considered an Elder. That’d be horrible. Edward scoffed and said a few words, tone hard to decipher. Galactic was like that – unless you understood the language, you can’t decipher the tone or emotions the person is trying to convey by listening without being familiar with the dialect. So Techno could only guess that Edward was annoyed, but it could be the complete opposite.

“He says not by a long shot,” Ranboo translates after a few moments, and Techno scratched that concern off his list. Edward says a few more words, and Ranboo takes another couple of moments to process them and translate them into English in his head. “Um– He’s also–” Edward spoke again, cutting Ranboo off. And Techno could tell through Edward’s stiff posture and Ranboo’s wide eyes and worried look that he was about to get a scolding translated to him through Ranboo.

And he was right, because after a solid minute of Edward talking, he snapped his jaw shut and gestured for Ranboo to speak. 

Ranboo looked miserable. “Edward, I can’t–” He began quietly, but a snap from Edward made Ranboo straighten and shut up before he replied in Galactic, looking guilty as he did so. With a sigh, Ranboo properly faced Techno and Techno almost laughed at how miserable Ranboo looked. He almost laughed. _Almost._

“Edward is very upset with you,” Ranboo began, and this time Techno really had to hold back a laugh (he’s being indirectly scolded by a sixteen year old lanky Enderman who looks like _he’s_ the one who got in trouble), “He said that ignoring him like that is extremely rude and disrespectful, especially since this time when you ignored him, you put my health at. Um. Risk. He’s not happy about it because, if, for example, Phil was the one who was talking, you would have listened. But you ignored Edward because– Well, I didn’t understand the words of what he said about that, but either way I think you can figure it out by looking between the lines. I think... that’s all.” Ranboo lowered his voice into a whisper and he leaned in a bit towards Techno. “Just apologise to him, it’s really hard for me to translate all of this. Please. I'm going to get a headache.”

Techno chuckled, reaching out and ruffling Ranboo’s hair since he was leaning down and then spun around and faced Edward, who was glaring at him. Techno didn’t feel any real guilt, because his worry and mistake from earlier could be justified with paranoia and a hint of trauma with crazy people knocking at his doors in the middle of the day, but Edward didn’t know that. So, there was no real point in feeling guilty, but he recognized his mistake. That’s what matters. “Sorry about that,” Techno said sincerely, “I should have listened to you, what I did was rude. It won’t be happenin’ again, don’t worry."

Edward vwooped, and Techno turned his head to look over at Ranboo. Ranboo smiled a tad bit and said, “Apology accepted.”

Techno clapped his hands together, a nearly sarcastic smile on his face. “Great! Now, why are you knocking on my doors in the middle of the day and scaring the shit out of me?” Ranboo blinked, mostly because the sudden change in tone surprised him, but he was quick to snap out of it and say, “Edward told me to come visit when the sun was at it’s highest. So, here I am. I didn't think you'd be home."

“I see,” Techno said, nodding. “Well, I don’t really care and it’s none of my business, so.” Techno pointed at the door. “I’m gonna go. I gotta meet up with Phil in a bit. Don’t hang out in here for too long, and don’t steal.” Ranboo nodded wordlessly and Techno hummed, grabbing his axe he had been polishing and made his way to the door. He opened it, didn’t even flinch at the cold, and turned his head and gave a thumbs up before disappearing. 

Slowly, Ranboo turned to face Edward, who was staring at the door with an unreadable look on his face. Ranboo cleared his throat and Edward snapped his gaze over to Ranboo. “So… Why did you want me here?”

Edward smiled, which sort of concerned Ranboo (even if the smile was fond) because Edward didn’t really smile. _“Vwoop.”_ _(I have a surprise for you.)_

Ranboo perked up, though it was obvious he tried to hide it, not wanting to come off as immature. His ears perked up, and his eyes lit up, but he straightened himself and kept his face calm. Something in Edward ached. Ranboo, although much more comfortable with himself since he’s moved into this empire, still would show the impressions this was being left on him – like right now, with how he was suppressing his excitement as an adult would. Nobody his age should feel the need to do that. 

Ranboo felt as if he was too old and mature to act excited, and had to keep his cool, even if he was just sixteen – somewhere around halfway to seventeen. Edward also assumes that it was because he was constantly surrounded by adults, (mature adults who had gone through hell and back multiple times) that pressured him into acting like them, not wanting to act inappropriately and annoy somebody because he was acting like a child. Edward's mouth always twitched into a frown when he thought about it. Ranboo deserved to feel like he could act his age. Faintly, Edward wondered if it were the same thing for all the other children around here. (He didn't want to think about how sad that was.)

Edward was going to fix this. Well, not Edward _himself._

 _“Vrrk, vwup.” (Quinn, you can come out now.)_ Edward said softly, and Ranboo tensed. Who the hell was Quinn? Discreetly, Ranboo’s hand flicked towards the sword situated on his hip. The teen glanced around nervously, his shoulders and posture tight and brows pinched in worry. Edward spoke again, _“Vrp, vrrp. Vrk.”_ _(Child, over here. Don’t tense, you are safe.)_ Ranboo looked over at Edward and jumped back with a yelp of shock. He was caught so off guard he accidentally teleported further back which resulted in his back slamming into the front door roughly. 

Next to Edward, there stood a new Enderman that _definitely_ wasn’t there before, all smiles. When they saw Ranboo jump back and then teleport, their eyes widened and their smile dropped into a worried frown. 

In all honesty, the only thing on Ranboo's mind was: _Why does he look like Edward but YOUNGER?_

Quickly, the new Enderman said, _“Grrp! Vwrrk?” (I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you! Are you alright?)_ Ranboo stared at the Enderman with wide eyes, very much stunned by their sudden appearance. It took Ranboo a few seconds to process everything before he stood up, wincing when his shoulder ached a bit and his heart raced alongside his sore muscles from teleporting. Slowly, he forced some of his tension to seep out of him. Most of it stayed, but it was just the general anxiety that always followed him around. Teleporting was not fun. Most of the time, it was painful and had annoying repercussions. His body isn't familiar with teleportation, so it handled it poorly.

Slowly, Ranboo asked who this new Enderman was they were in Galactic. The new Enderman smiled again, and Ranboo faintly noted how different he was in comparison to Edward, his earlier observation canceling out. This Enderman was a little shorter than Edward, but still much taller than Ranboo, and their eyes held a brightness to them that Edward didn’t have, and their general vibes seemed a bit more relaxed than the more intense one Edward had.

“My name is Quinn,” Quinn greeted, waving. Ranboo’s jaw dropped. What the hell? Did that Enderman just speak _English?_

“Did you– did you j– was– was that _English?”_ Ranboo gaped. Quinn chuckled, and he looked sort of proud of himself. “Yes,” Quinn answered, his voice smooth. “The language is easy to pick up. English is nothing compared to Galactic. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Edward’s grandson.”

Ranboo, still very much stunned, nodded slowly to the words. Then, he realized he hadn’t introduced himself and clamped his mouth shut and pretended he didn’t feel his ears and neck heat up in embarrassment. “Um! Um, hi, I’m Ranboo. It’s nice to meet you too. Is it rude to ask how old you are?” Right after the words tumbled out of his mouth, Ranboo regretted them. His tail flicked and he cringed. “Sorry, that– that as a weird question. You don’t need to answer that.”

Quinn shook his head, his smile gentler now. “Not at all. I’m around eighteen or nineteen in human years.”

“Oh,” Ranboo murmured. He thought about Quinn’s age for a moment. “Huh, you’re young. All of the Endermen I’ve met are Elders.”

“Yeah, that’s because Elders are stronger and can protect themselves better so you’ll find them out and about,” Quinn explained, glancing out the window for a moment. He looked back inside and squinted at Ranboo, looking at him up and down. “Are you half Endermen?” He asked, his tone curious. Ranboo nodded, one of his ears flicking. Quinn’s eyes lit up, and his grin went from relaxed to excited. “Hey, that’s really cool!” He commented, his tone genuine and eyes sort of sparkling. Ranboo slowly looked up from where he had been staring at the ground and met Quinn's gaze with a hesitant look in his eyes. Quietly, Ranboo murmured, “Really…? Most– Most Endermen find it very… Strange.”

Quinn shook his head. “You said you’ve only really seen Elders or something, right? They’re not very open minded. I think hybrids are really cool, actually. My friends think so too.”

Before Ranboo could reply, Edward interrupted. _“Vwup. Grrk.”_ _(Both of you, go. Your chatting is annoying.)_ Quinn laughed, and Ranboo really liked how gentle and contagious it was, and the older Enderman quipped something back at Edward before making his way towards the door.

* * *

“I don’t really know what to talk about,” Ranboo admitted after giving Quinn a tour of the surrounding area. Quinn had listened intently the entire time, nodding and humming in acknowledgment, and asking questions when he had them. Ranboo liked Quinn, he was… Chill.

Quinn smiled – Ranboo noticed that Quinn did that a lot. “Tell me about yourself,” The older asked. “I don’t know much about you. Edward just told me that very nice to him.”

“Well,” Ranboo began slowly, “I’m… Sixteen. And, uhhh… I’m…” Ranboo paused to think to himself, “...not sure what to say.” The younger teen chuckled, though his neck felt warm from embarrassment again. 

It was so strange talking to another Enderman. Especially one that was so _young._ It was odd to adjust to. Ranboo was also worried about trusting him. He didn’t know if he was somehow in contact with somebody like Dream, or somebody dangerous in general. He was concerned about getting too close with Quinn, even if he had kind eyes and a sweet laugh. 

Quinn laughed, and the sound of it made Ranboo relax a bit despite his looming worries. Quinn began strolling, and Ranboo followed. “Well, I’ll ask you a few questions you can answer for me. What do you do in your free time?” Quinn asked, glancing down at Ranboo.

“Mining,” Ranboo answered immediately, startling another laugh out of Quinn by how quickly he replied. Ranboo continued, “And– and also exploring. I love doing that.”

“Very interesting, I like being underground as well. Being surrounded by potential pieces of earth to be picked up is very fun and it’s very safe,” Quinn hummed. “What’s your favorite food?”

Ranboo answered this one quickly as well. “Potatoes! I have– I’m growing some over there. See?” Ranboo pointed to the little farm next to his shack, and Quinn looked over at it. It was well-kept and all of the growing potatoes looked happy and healthy. Quinn’s eyebrows raised at how taken care of they were. Honestly, he said, “You’re taking really good care of them, I’m very impressed.”

“O-Oh,” Ranboo stuttered, looking a bit flustered. The compliment caught him off guard, and he didn’t get compliments very often, so responding to one took him a second. “Um, th– thank you. I work really hard to keep them in good shape.” 

“I can see that!" Again, Ranboo didn't know how to respond to a comment like that, so he just gave a weak Enderman warble. Quinn looked over the horizon, squinting as he thought. "Let’s see… Do you have any other friends you like hanging out with?” 

Ranboo stiffened, and his brows pinched down in thought. “I…” Does he?

Well, there was Tubbo, and Ranboo loved hanging out with Tubbo, but… Well, he had Tommy and all, and…

A voice in the back of Ranboo’s head whispered, _“You know, Dream has always been your friend.”_

Ranboo ignored it. He’s going to ignore that voice, pretend it isn’t there because it _isn’t._ He’s going to live his life normally, live it like he’s not haunted by Dream’s voice, or like he’s not the cause of disaster and–

“–nboo? Ranboo? Hey, are you alright? Do I– Should I go get Edward?” Quinn’s voice cut through Ranboo’s thoughts. His hand was on his shoulder, and he was leaning down a bit so their heads were at the same level. Quinn’s eyes held genuine concern. 

A pain in his shin and knees properly snapped Ranboo out of it. Blinking the blur out of his eyes, Ranboo registered that he had fallen onto his knees in the snow, and the snow was melting and getting through the fabric of his pants and beginning to burn him. 

Glancing up, Ranboo met Quinn’s worried gaze, and right there and then Ranboo wanted the snow to eat him up and never come out ever again. He felt so embarrassed.

Right after the realization of Quinn being right there and witnessing the mini breakdown, words began tumbling out of Ranboo’s mouth before he could properly think. “I’m so sorry, Quinn, oh my god. Oh, jeez, I really shouldn’t have– I am so sorry, that was really– Please forgive, I didn’t mean t–”

“Hey,” Quinn’s voice was incredibly soft and gentle, as well as his eyes that were tinted with understanding, “Hey, Ranboo. It’s fine. I don’t really know what just happened, but you looked really scared. Honestly, I’m just glad you’re safe. Do you… want to go mining? I can carry a torch for you.” 

* * *

It took four weeks until Ranboo properly warmed up to Quinn.

Week one, Ranboo would be startled out of his skin when Quinn would come out of nowhere and greet him. Ranboo was a bit more timid, very tense, and kept track of Quinn’s every move from the corner of his eye. Quinn didn’t say anything about it, only apologizing when he scared Ranboo or offering a big smile when Ranboo became flustered over something he had said to Quinn.

Week two, Ranboo was a bit more chatty, and only flinched when Quinn would walk up to him without warning at some random time of the day. Ranboo began letting him tag along in his daily tasks and began trusting him with holding items when his inventory became full.

Week three… 

(Quinn didn’t know what to _do._ He had walked into Ranboo’s home, ready to congratulate Ranboo for getting through the week and making it to Friday, and found the teen curled up on his bed and mumbling to himself. What really threw Quinn off was the look in Ranboo’s eyes – Clouded, distant, not really... _there._

Quinn did everything he could to get Ranboo to snap out of it. He asked him what was happening, shook him, spoke to him in Galactic, tapped his palm, absolutely everything he could think of. 

Quinn felt terrible when the one thing that snapped Ranboo out of it was when his multicolored tears sprung out of his eyes and began burning his face. 

“Ranboo, oh my goodness, you–” Quinn picked up the end of Ranboo’s blanket and used it to gently rub away the tears. “Are you okay? What just– How can I help?”

Ranboo sniffed, blinking rapidly, scrubbing at his face aggressively to get the tears off of them (to keep himself grounded with the pain). He exhaled shakily when Quinn grabbed his arm gently, stopping the scrubbing. 

After a few moments, Ranboo shakily whispered, “I think a hu– a hug would help a– a little.” 

Quinn hugged Ranboo for the next half hour. He couldn’t let this happen ever again. That night, as Quinn wrapped Ranboo in a blanket and told him old Endermen folk tales, he swore he’d be there for this hybrid no matter what.)

Week four, they finally figured out a dynamic. By this week, Techno and Phil had finally been introduced to Quinn. 

“Ranboo?” Quinn asked under his breath, adjusting his grip on the perfect shape chunk of earth he was holding, “Ranboo, is that Technoblade and Phi– Philzer? Phi– What was his name again?”

“Phil?” Ranboo looked up from his crafting table placed outside of his home and spun around. He cringed when he noticed Techno and Phil approaching them. They didn’t seem mad or upset, they looked as if they were simply chatting with each other.

Then, Ranboo pieced it together. “O-Oh, I haven’t introduced them to you yet, have I?” Ranboo bit his lip as his thoughts began racing, already thinking of a million scenarios of how this introduction could go. Quinn, already familiar with how Ranboo’s brain worked, already knew that he needed to pull Ranboo out of his thoughts before he somehow came to the conclusion that he was the reason the world was ending. That had actually happened, once. Quinn is pretty sure Ranboo doesn’t remember that, though. 

Quinn placed a hand on Ranboo’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. “Don’t worry, I haven’t done anything wrong, and I can teleport away if things get dangerous,” Quinn reassured. Ranboo glanced up at him, giving him a look that Quinn couldn’t quite decipher, and then nodded. With a sigh and mumble of something Quinn didn’t hear, Ranboo raised his arm and waved at the pair of warriors making their way over.

Techno didn’t respond to it, but Phil did, raising a hand and waving back with a big smile. When they made it up to Quinn and Ranboo, the adults stood in awkward silence until Phil asked, “So, who is this?” And gestured towards Quinn. Beside Phil, Techno was looking at Quinn up and down discreetly but didn’t look at his eyes. He knew better than to do that.

Ranboo cleared his throat and gestured to Quinn. “This is Quinn, Edward’s…” Ranboo trailed off, and his brows furrowed and his (sort of forced) happy expression tinged with thought, “... Grandson, if I remember correctly.”

Quinn nodded. “Yep, grandson,” He confirmed.

Phil’s jaw dropped, and Techno’s eyes widened. It took Quinn a second to realize what they were gaping at, and he laughed when he figured it out. “Yeah! I can speak English,” Quinn clarified, scratching his cheek. “Surprise!” He did little jazz hands, and he felt his smile widen a bit when Ranboo laughed a little.

“How old are you?” Phil asked Quinn, still looking shocked. “I mean, Ranboo refers to Edward as an Elder, and even with that title Edward doesn’t speak English.”

“I mean, I’m around eighteen or nineteen in human years, but English is rather easy to pick up,” Quinn explained casually. “Endermen are a smart species. I dunno. Or maybe it’s a me thing?”

“Well, I’m Technoblade. But, um, call me Techno. This is Philza, but he prefers to be called Phil,” Techno said. “We’ve seen you around, but we didn’t… Really know what to make of you.” From there, the conversation descended into something very chill and mellow as the group got to know each other a bit more than yesterday. Although quiet, Ranboo was smiling the entire time.

* * *

Ranboo had set up a campfire one evening when Quinn visited. It was chilly, but Ranboo didn’t seem to mind, zoned out as he stared at the crackling fire in front of him. On top of some logs above the fire was some raw steak in the process of being cooked. 

“Hello there, stranger,” Quinn greeted, plopping down on a tree trunk Ranboo was sitting on. Ranboo hummed in acknowledgment, still staring at the fire. 

“Hi,” The younger muttered back softly. He poked at the burning fire with a stick he was holding in his hand. “How was your day?”

“Eh. I just hung out in the caves as usual. How are you?” Quinn leaned back a bit, picking at some bark on the trunk he was sitting on.

“I’ve…” Ranboo hesitated, then sighed. “I’ve had better days.” Quinn frowned, straightening and leaning forward so he could see Ranboo’s face better. The teen was sort of expressionless, still zoned out and focused on the fire in front of him. But now that Quinn looked more closely, he looked tired. Softly, Quinn asked, “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No,” Ranboo quietly replied, his mouth twitching down a bit into a frown. That was the end of the conversation, Quinn could tell, and he decided not to push it. With a hidden frown, Quinn reached out and wrapped an arm around Ranboo’s shoulders, and pulled him in. Ranboo leaned into Quinn, sighing again. The two sat in silence, save for the gentle noises of the wind and crackling fire.

“You have horns?” Quinn murmured out of nowhere after sitting in silence for a few minutes. Ranboo opened his eyes – when had he closed them? – and nodded. “Yeah.” Ranboo felt a hang dig into his curly hair and move strands out of the way to expose more of one of his horns. He leaned into the touch just a little.

“They’re so tiny,” Quinn cooed, tapping a horn with his finger. Ranboo’s nose scrunched at the strange sensation. It was sort of ticklish and made– It made his nose itchy…? That was weird. 

“People don’t really notice them,” Ranboo stated, scrunching his nose again when Quinn tapped his horn a second time. “It’s buried by my hair.”

“You have a lot of it. Hair, I mean.”

Ranboo scoffed a laugh, rubbing his nose. “Yeah, no kidding.”

After that, the two fell into silence again, with Ranboo still leaning into Quinn. This time, Quinn was mindlessly tapping Ranboo’s horn, entirely unaware about how it might eventually make Ranboo sneeze. Eventually, Quinn stopped, and Ranboo wasn’t sure if he was happy about it or not. 

“You have so much hairrr,” Quinn drawled, words edging with a small laugh as he put a hand into Ranboo’s hair and tugged his bangs back. That specific action made Ranboo’s ear twitch and quirk up a brow. “That’s funny, Edward does the same thing with my hair too. He pulls my bangs back all the time like that,” Ranboo said. Quinn laughed a little, lifting up his other arm and using it to bunch a small bit of Ranboo’s hair together. Honestly, if Ranboo could purr like a cat, he’d probably be doing that right now.

“I’m going to braid your hair and you can’t stop me,” Quinn claimed, already separating the bunch of hair into three smaller bunches. Ranboo yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Fine by me,” He murmured, leaning much more heavily into Quinn. “You do you. Just don’t dye my hair, I’ll…” Ranboo trailed off, blinking slowly as he tried to think of something to say, “... I’ll figure something out.” He was seriously starting to get sleepy.

“Oooh, I feel so threatened,” Quinn joked, beginning the braid. “How’s Ranbun?”

“Ranbun is…” Another yawn. “Ranbun keeps eating my sugar cane.” 

“You have so much of it, I’m sure you can spare some for her.” 

No reply. Quinn waited a moment, then murmured a, “You there, Ranboo?”

A sharp inhale, one that Ranboo always did when he was woken up from a nap or sleep. He sat up a bit, and Quinn hadn’t realized how much Ranboo was leaning into him. Words tumbled out of Ranboo’s mouth, “Hm? What? Yes, I did steal the sticks. I needed… I think I needed them for the fire.”

Quinn laughed, pausing his braid, much to Ranboo’s dismay. “What? What sticks?” Quinn asked. Ranboo froze, then squinted. After a moment of thinking, Ranboo himself asked, “Wait, what sticks?” Quinn laughed again, poking Ranboo’s cheek. “You’re so strange when you’re sleepy.” Ranboo huffed and leaned back into Quinn again. “No,” He blatantly said. Quinn smiled fondly as he brushed a few bangs out of Ranboo’s face. “Sleep, Ranboo. It’s fine.”

“I…” Ranboo yawned for a third time in the past five minutes, “I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

Oh, that answer was simple for Ranboo. “Dream.”

“Dream? What do you mea–” Flashbacks to Ranboo’s horrible breakdowns involving the name Dream crossed Quinn’s mind. “Oh. Dream.” Then, Quinn’s face tightened with determination. “Ranboo,” He began strongly, “I promise I will keep you safe from Dream. I _promise.”_

Ranboo tensed. “You… Swear on your three lives?”

Quinn shook his head. “I swear on my only life, Ranboo.” Quinn’s heart ached at the shaky exhale Ranboo let out. Instead of commenting on it, Quinn said instead, “Now go to sleep or I’ll make you fall asleep the hard way.” When Ranboo huffed out a laugh, Quinn grinned in victory. 

“Okay,” Ranboo murmured. “Goodnight, Quinn.”

Quinn continued the braid, hands gentle as they worked. “Goodnight, Ranboo.”

**Author's Note:**

> u guys really liked my last edward & ranboo fic, [warbled greetings,](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28715664/chapters/70405143) so this is subtly inspired by that 
> 
> if you guys have any ranboo & quinn content/prompt ideas or hcs or whatever, drop them in the comments and i might make a pt2 with it! and also kudos are encouraged and loved \o/
> 
> (if u want, come say hi on my [tumblr!](https://youiii.tumblr.com/))


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